Thinking Out Loud
by marie-moxley-ambrose
Summary: Jonathan Good [Dean Ambrose] and Marie Lopez have had a connection since the moment they met four years ago. Now they have reunited but Marie seems to be hiding something and Jon is the first to notice. Sucky summary I will be changing it eventually and maybe the title. JonGood[DeanAmbrose]/OC.
1. Chapter 01

**I got inspired to write this as I was listening to the Ed Sheeran song - Thinking Out Loud. I am in love with this song at the moment. It's a slow work in progress so please bare with me. I'm also working on a prequel to this but that won't be posted just yet. Your reviews would be great. **

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER ONE - <strong>

Marie Lopez held the phone to her ear waiting for her brother to answer his phone. She text him earlier in the day asking if she could ring him at this time. This was the second time she'd tried calling him in 10 minutes and he still wasn't answering.

Giving up, she ended the call and was about to text him again when her phone started ringing. She looked at her caller I.D and saw her cousin's name and photo on her screen. Sliding her thumb across the screen she answered his call.

"I just tried ringing you twice," she said to him before he could say anything.

"I know, I'm sorry." He apologized. "I was about to answer the second time but my phone stopped ringing just as I picked it up."

"You're forgiven this time," she kidded. "What are you up to right now? Do you have time to talk?"

"Nothing and yeah I do." He answered both of her questions. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah everything is fine. Could you could go out to the arena car park?"

"Why?"

She could hear the confusion and questioning in his voice and smiled a little. "Could you just do it?"

"Okay?" he questioned again.

"Thanks," she grinned and ended the call, leaning back against the wall. Her blue eyes went to her phone replying to a text she got from her best friend, Katie, who unfortunately couldn't come with her like they had planned.

Tomorrow was SummerSlam and her cousin's first single pay per view match. Just like she did when he had his first pay per view match with The SHIELD, she came to support him. The only difference this time was that he didn't know she was coming to the show.

Hearing someone come out of the arena she looked up and saw the familiar bleach blonde and brunette hair of her older brother. She watched him look around in confusion until his eyes landed on her.

His confused look turned into a look of surprise. Marie quickly made her way over to him and threw her arms around his neck as she hugged him tightly. He returned her hug, hugging her just as tightly.

"What are you doing here?" he asked when they let go of each other. He was still surprised to see her.

"You didn't think I'd come support you on your first singles pay per view?" she smirked. "What kind of sister would that make me, Colby Lopez?"

"I'm glad you're here," he grinned hugging her again. "It's good to see you."

"It's good you see you too."

Marie and Colby were actually cousins but she was raised by his parents, so he became her brother while her aunt and uncle became mom and dad. Her Aunt and Uncle gave her a stable home to live in, even after all the trouble she put them through when she was a teenager. They never gave up on her once and neither did her older cousin.

"You look great," he said looking her up and down.

Last time he saw her was three years ago and she was going through depression. Her boyfriend had broken up with her and was started spreading nasty rumours about her, her mother, even though she was useless at being a mom, died and she didn't know how to feel about it. Everything was getting on top of her. She'd quit college, not being able to handle it on top of everything else.

Looking at her now he didn't see the woman from three years ago. He saw the bright, confident, smiling woman he saw before everything happened.

"I feel great," she smiled. "Therapy really helped me."

When Marie started going through therapy she did it to get everyone to shut up and leave her alone but she found it really helped. She worked through her mother's death and learned she didn't have to feel what everyone thought she should feel because it was her mom. Sure she was sad her mom had died but her mom wasn't the one who raise her. She was more angry and hurt. Her mother didn't even try mending things with her while she was on her death bed. She still had a little to work on when it came to her death but aside from that she felt fine and like a new person. She knew she wouldn't get her old self back but she was liking this new her.

"That's great," he smiled.

He slung an arm over shoulders and guided her into the arena. He didn't have to do anything for a while and wanted to catch up with her somewhere a little more private than the entrance of the arena.

"Mom told me you finished your online classes and graduated with top marks," Colby said as they walked down the corridor towards cafeteria. He knew there wouldn't be many people there at this time and he couldn't leave the arena just yet.

"I'm one of their top five students. My certificate arrived last week," she grinned proud of herself.

When she felt confident to return to her studies she didn't have the money to go back and finish her final year so she inquired about finishing her studies online. After explaining her circumstances, the college the course was run through agreed to let her finish getting her degree online. Now she was a fully qualified journalist and looking for a job. She wanted to be on TV but she didn't mind writing. She loved all aspects of journalism, even advice columns.

"I just have to find a job now," She pretended to sigh dramatically.

"I could talk to Steph and Paul, see if they have a job open with the magazine or they need another Renee."

"I'm not a wrestling expert like Renee," she said. "And I don't sound like I talk through my nose."

Colby laughed. "That was mean."

"I'm sure she's a really nice lady, she's also very pretty but her voice is a little annoying." Marie said. "Your voice is annoying too."

"Your face is annoying." He playfully glared at her.

"Your butt chin is annoying." She countered, playfully glaring back at him. This wasn't out of the ordinary for the cousins. They always messed around like this and ended up laughing when one of them couldn't come up with a comeback, like Colby was trying to do now.

"I've got nothing," he said making her laugh.

"I win again!" She cheered.

"I'm pretty sure I won last time."

"A kick to the dick doesn't means I won." She laughed at the memory of her cousin cradling his most prized possession.

"You're brutal," Colby frowned at him.

"You love me so you'll eventually get over it."

"Well you can't choose your family."

"In a way, you can." She pointed out. "My parents had me but they never chose me. You're mom and dad chose to take me in. I chose to call them mom and dad. I chose to call you my brother."

"Taking you in has to be the best decision they made," He said. "Aside from having me." He added making her laugh.

"Colby," A voice sounded from behind them. Marie knew that voice very well and turning around only confirmed she was right.

"Hey Jon," Colby smiled doing the bro handshake with his off-screen friend and on-screen enemy. "You remember my sister Marie, right?"

"Of course, how could I forget?" He smiled at her. "Good to see you again."

"It's good to see you again too," she returned his smile.

Jonathan Good, better known as Jon Moxley and Dean Ambrose, has always had a contagious smile and it was a great smile too. It showed his dimples. Marie was a sucker for great smiles and dimples as well as blonde hair and blue eyes which Jon also had. She'd be lying if she said she didn't find him extremely attractive and didn't have a crush on him.

"I'm about to head back to the hotel, I just wanted to know if we need to go over anything again before tomorrow," he said now looking at Colby.

"I think we're good," Colby answered, "I still have to stick around to go over some things with Paul and Steph," He turned his attention back to me. "Have you sorted out where you're going to stay yet?"

"I should have done that before I came here but it was kinda last minute." I told him.

"I can drive you to the hotel we're staying at and you could get a room there." Jon suggested. Marie looked at Colby to see if he was okay with it.

"Saves you from waiting around here until I'm done. I don't know how long I will be." He told her.

"Okay," she said. She felt a little nervous about being alone with him. Last time they were left alone together was when she'd met him and the last time she'd seen before now. They didn't part on bad terms, it was the opposite, they just never stayed in contact but it didn't stop them either of them asking Colby how the other one was doing. "I'll text you my room number when I get one."

"Cool," he smiled. "I'll see you later."

She nodded and followed Jon out to his rental car.


	2. Chapter 02

**CHAPTER TWO -  
><strong>

The last time Marie and Jon were alone together was in her bed, waking up after a long night that included pizza, beer, dancing and sex. She bit her bottom lip, trying to stop the small smile forming on her lips as she thought about the memory. It was a memory she'd never forget.

"What are you trying not to smile about?" She heard Jon ask, pulling her away from the memory.

After she got herself a room, he walked with her carrying her bag like the gentleman he was, according to himself, and found out their rooms were on the same floor, his being only two rooms down.

"Nothing," she lied. He raised an eyebrow at her. She knew he wouldn't believe her but she didn't want him to know she thought about their few days together more than she probably should. "I'm just happy and excited to be here. I haven't seen Colby in three years."

"You haven't seen or talked to me in four years," he said, a smile on his face. Unlike the short drive to the hotel, the tension between them didn't seem awkward. Once they started talking it was like it was when they last saw each other. She knew he was being a smart ass and meant nothing by it... Or so she thought.

"You could have called," she pointed out.

"You could have too," he countered.

"I should have but things happened and then I didn't know if I should or not, if you'd remember me or even wanted me to call," she admitted, getting seriou

"It was the same for me too," he also admitted. "Except for the you remembering me part, I'm not hard to forget."

Marie laughed. "I agree with that, you're not hard to forget."

"Neither are you," he told her making her blush.

Knowing Jon didn't forget about her surprised her a little. She'd heard from Colby that Jon was a 'ladies man' and that after he'd been with a woman he would forget about her and move on to the next one. She wasn't expecting to be any different to the others before her. She wasn't expecting him to fall in love with her and be girl he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her either. Those few days were just a bit of fun and her friend Katie was right - She did need to get laid back then.

"Moving on," she heard him say, pulling her from her thoughts once again, "How have you been since I last saw you? Colby told me you were going through a rough time a while back."

"It's been up and down and I did but I got help and now I'm a whole new me," She said not really wanting to go into detail right now. He still made her feel like she could talk to him about anything and everything but she wasn't ready to tell him about the depression or her mom.

"Do you have a boyfriend?" he asked.

"No," she shook her head. "Not for a while now. My last relationship ended really badly so I haven't really bothered with a new one. What about you?"

"I don't have a boyfriend either," he said making her laugh.

He smiled hearing her laughter. He couldn't really describe her laugh but it was like but he liked how hearing her laugh made him feel happy. Hearing other people laugh at something he does or say makes him happy but with her it was different, hard to explain kinda different, even after going so long without seeing her.

"I meant, do you have a girlfriend?" she asked as her laughter died down.

His smile faltered a little and so did hers when she noticed. "Sort of, I guess."

"You sort of have a girlfriend?" she asked slightly confused.

"It's complicated."

"It always is," she sighed more to herself, feeling something in her chest drop a little.

She knew she liked him and was attracted to him, but who wasn't? She doesn't get why she feels a little disappointed that he has a girlfriend, whether the relationship is complicated or not. She doesn't love him, or she doesn't think she does. You can't fall in love with someone in three days, could you? After all this is reality, not some Disney movie. And even if it was, you couldn't go without seeing them for four years and still be in love, right? It just doesn't work that way and Marie knows that. She couldn't love him. She still didn't know him completely.

Marie had been so caught up in her thoughts again, that she only caught the last of what he was saying. "Sometimes I think I should just be single."

"If you two want to make it work, it'll work out," she found herself saying. "If not, you could always get a boyfriend," She added trying to lighten her fallen mood and the small ache she felt in her chest. He laughed and she smiled a little.

"Have you text Colby your room number yet?" he asked.

She nodded. "I text him on the way up here."

"Cool," he smiled. "Have you got plans for tonight?"

"I'm not sure. I'm gonna see if Colby wants to do anything when he gets back from the arena." she told him.

"If you two want to, you can come over to my room and watch a movie," Jon offered.

"I'll talk to him about it," she said not wanting to turn him down. She was unsure if she wanted to watch movies with him even if Colby was going to be there.

"Awesome," he smiled. "I should head back to my room, I've got a few things to sort out."

"Okay, thanks for the ride and helping me get a room."

"It was no problem," he said, walking to the door and opened it. "I might see you later."

"Yeah," she nodded her head, following him.

Once he was gone she closed the door and leaned her back against it. She pulled her phone out of her jeans pocket and looked at it. She had one text message from Colby and one from Katie.

She read Colby's text first. It was him telling her he should be back at the hotel in about an hour and that he'll come straight to her room. After replying to him she opened Katie's text and replied telling her how surprising Colby went.

Pushing herself away from the door, she moved to sit on the couch and switched the TV. She started flicking through channels when her phone started to ring. Picking it up she looked at the caller ID seeing it was Katie. Sliding her thumb across the screen she answered the call.

"Missing me already?" She joked with Katie.

_"Oh you know it,"_ Katie laughed. _"What are you up to? I'm not interrupting anything am I?"_

"No, I'm just waiting for Colby to get back to the hotel. He's still at the arena."

_"How is he?"_ Katie wouldn't admit it but Marie knew her friend had a small crush on him.

"Good but busy getting ready for SummerSlam tomorrow night." She told her.

_"Speaking of SummerSlam, have you seen Jon yet?"_

"Yeah, I have," She wanted to lie but she couldn't, not to Katie who knew when she was lying.

_"How did that go?"_

"Awkward at first but once we started talking it was fine."

_"Are you going to sleep with him again?"_ Marie could hear the smirk on Katie's face.

"What? No!" She frowned but wasn't surprised Katie asked her that.

_"You say that now."_

"I'm not going to sleep with him again so just drop it," She snapped and then apologized. "I'm sorry."

_"It's okay,"_ Katie said brushing it off. _"Is there something you want to talk about?"_

"He has a girlfriend," she blurted out before she could think about saying it or coming up with something else.

_"Jon has a girlfriend?"_

"Yeah, he says it's complicated. I shouldn't care right?" she asked unsure if she should continue. "Those three days were just fun, there was nothing there. And... and it's been four years... I've had a relationship since then, I'm sure he's had at least one. It didn't mean anything."

_"You two did seem to really connect back then,"_ Katie told her truthfully, _"There were sparks."_

"Things can change in four years, sparks fade." Marie frowned. She didn't know why she was frowning.

_"Does it hurt knowing he has a girlfriend?"_

"It's more like an ache," she said. "I came here to support Colby and spend some time with him, not reconnect with Jon and get all confused with feelings and crap. I'm not meant to feel disappointed he has a girlfriend! Sure I like him but it's... it's I don't know what it is but it's not normal."

_"Maybe you should avoid Jon the best you can and then when you come home, you can forget about those feelings and find someone else,"_ Katie suggested.

"Maybe I should. I'm here for Colby and that's it," she agreed with her friend.

_"Also that way you won't sleep with him again."_

"I'm not going to sleep with him again!" She sighed frustrated.

_"It has been a few months since you laid,"_ Katie pointed out. _"If you can't avoid him it might be best to sleep with someone else, get it out of your system so you don't end up back in bed with him."_

"You're a horrible person, you know that right?"

_"Yes, but you love this horrible person and know I'm right."_

Marie was about to say something when there was a knock on the door. "Hey Dork, I've got to go, I'll call you sometime tomorrow."

_"Alright babe, talk to you tomorrow."_

They both said goodbye at the same time and hung up. Placing her phone on the table, Marie stood up from the couch and walked over to the door. Opening the door, she saw Colby and let him in.

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks to the three people that reviewed and the people that added this to their favorites and follow lists, I appreciate it very much. A prequel is in the works so you get a better idea of what happened when they first met, it'll only be a few chapters long since it's only over three days. Please don't forget to review.<br>**


	3. Chapter 03

**CHAPTER THREE**

Marie was sitting next to Colby as they watched a movie with Jon in his hotel room. She decided she couldn't avoid Jon, especially not when Colby was around. It would make Colby suspicious also, he picked up on everything no matter how hard you tried to hide it.

When Jon stood up to go to the bathroom, Marie could feel Colby's eyes on her. She knew he was already suspicious about something. Normally she'd be talking their ears off by now, catching up with them, laughing at their childishness. But tonight there was none of that.

"Are you okay?" she heard him ask, his gaze burning a hole in the side of her head.

She looked at him and nodded, "Yeah, why?"

"You've been quiet since I got back to the hotel," he pointed out. "Did something happen between you and Jon?"

"Nothing happened between me and Jon," she said, truthfully. "Flying makes me tired, I don't know how you guys do it all the time."

"You get used to it after a while."

"I won't," she sighed. "This is the first time I've left Iowa in..." she tried to think back to the last time she left her home state. "I don't know... seven or eight years."

"You should come visit me on the road more," he told her.

"I would but I need a job to make more money," she sighed.

"Who needs a job?" Jon asked coming back into the room. He only caught the last part of what she said.

"This person," she said pointing to herself.

"You should talk to Stephanie and Paul, maybe they have a job going somewhere in the magazine or with the photographers," Jon suggested and Colby nodded agreeing. "That way you'll be able to see Colby more and get out of Davenport, like you said you always wanted to."

She smiled a little remembering what she told him about leaving Davenport as soon as she graduated college. She never told anyone she wanted to leave but it wasn't going to be forever. If she did leave she'd still go back to visit her family, go home for the Christmas holidays and if she could, birthdays. She mainly smiled because Jon obviously remembered their conversation.

"You want to leave Davenport?" Colby asked before she could say anything after what Jon said.

"I was going to after I graduated, but plans changed when things started to get rough." She told him. "Now that I have things back on track, I think I should start thinking about it again."

"Does mom and dad know?"

"I want to be sure it's what I want to do before I tell them," she said. "If I do get a job outside of Davenport or Iowa it doesn't mean I'll be leaving for good. I'll do what you do and go back home to see mom and dad every chance that I get."

"Do you want to talk to Stephanie and Paul?" was Colby's next question. "I told you I can see if they have any job openings anywhere but I won't do it if you don't want me to."

"You don't have to but that would be great," she smiled a little again. "And I won't get my hopes up or expect anything, I've learned plenty of times not to. And thanks."

"It's no problem," he returned her smile and returned to watching the movie.

He was always great to her. He was always there when she needed him, even when he was on the road most of the year, he was just a phone call away. It was the same with her for him. They're brother and sister and best friends, it didn't matter what anyone said.

**-x-**

Another half hour into the movie Marie had drifted off to sleep. Jon was the first to notice. He smiled a little at how peaceful she looked when she was asleep. He couldn't help feel like there was something going on with her. She wasn't doing or saying anything that seemed suspiciously out of character for, he just had an instinct.

"Hey," he said grabbing Colby's attention. When Colby looked at him, he continued. "She's fallen asleep."

"I should wake her and take her back to her room," Colby said as he started to move to wake her up.

Before he could stop himself, he stopped Colby from waking her up. "You can put her on the other bed in the bedroom. She looked pretty tired when you guys walked in here. Saves you from waking her up, she probably needs the sleep."

"You sure? You're not sharing with anyone?"

"I'm sure and I'm not."

"Okay, thanks man," Colby thanked him as he stood up and picked Marie up in his arms.

Marie was short, only standing at five foot four. She wasn't stick thin, having a little curve to her hips, butt and breasts. She felt as light as a feather when Colby lifted her up. It was as if she weighed nothing. When she went through depression she'd lost quite a bit of weight and then added it on. She ended up being a little overweight for her tiny size but as she started feeling better, she started to regain a healthy weight and was loving her new curves, despite her double D's sometimes giving her an aching.

Once Colby laid her down on the bed, he pulled the blankets over her, kissed the top of her head and walked out of the room, following Jon back into the living room area.

"She'll probably be out to it for the rest of the night." Colby said sitting back on the couch. "She's not really good when it comes to flying, it really tires her out."

"I can tell."

"I should head back to my room," Colby said standing back up. "Busy day tomorrow, hope you're ready to get your ass kicked."

"You'll be the one getting your ass kicked," he smirked even though he knew what would be happening and it wasn't in his favour.

Colby laughed as he walked to the door, "Tell Marie I'll text her in the morning."

"I will."

"Goodnight," Colby said walking out the door, closing it behind him.

Jon stood up, turning the TV and lights off deciding he should have an early night too. Walking into the bedroom, he saw Marie still sleeping. He stripped out of his clothes and got into the other bed.

He was about to drift off to sleep when he heard Marie mumble in her sleep. The only word he could make out during her mumbling was his name. He looked towards her slightly confused but curious to why she'd say his name in her sleep. Her back was facing towards him and her mumbling had stopped.

He turned back on his side and fell asleep minutes later, his mind on Marie and what could be going on with her.

**-x-**

Marie woke up to the light streaming through the window. She looked around not recognizing the room she was in. Thinking back to the night before she remembered falling asleep on the couch, watching a movie with Colby and Jon. Neither of the men had woken her up so she could go back to her own room which meant she was still in Jon's room.

Looking over at the other bed she noticed it empty but slept in. Pulling the blankets back, she got out of bed and walked out of the bedroom. When she walked into the living room she saw Jon outside on the small balcony, a coffee and cigarette in his hands.

He looked up when she slid the door open and stepped out onto the balcony. "Good morning."

"Morning," she said sitting on the other chair at the small table.

"How'd you sleep?" he asked her.

"Good," she replied, "You?"

"Pretty good," he smiled a little. "I didn't know you sleep talk."

"I only do when I have a lot on my mind, according to everyone." She told him. She didn't know when she sleep talks but she's been told she does when she seems to have a lot to think about or she's had somewhat of brain draining day.

"So what's on your mind?" he asked taking the opportunity to ask her. He'd noticed she went quiet on him yesterday and had been wondering if it was something he said.

"A lot," she admitted. "The main one is finding a job."

"Hopefully Steph and Paul will have one for you," he said. "It'll be cool having you around more."

"Are you sure about that?" She asked him.

"Why wouldn't I be?" We'll be able to get to know each other better. You'll get to meet Joe and his little family when he comes back." He said mentioning the third member of the SHIELD and the other person Colby still called one of his best friends off-screen.

"I don't want to get my hopes up," she told him. "I've done that too many times before and it's only led to disappointment."

"You've got have a little faith though," he said. She watched as he brought his cigarette up to his perfectly pouted lips. She mentally shook her head trying to rid the thoughts that were starting to invade her head.

"You want one?" He asked, reaching for his cigarette packet to hand to her.

Last time they were together she smoked but she had quit just before her depression hit. That was a true test of willpower when it came to smoking. She remembered the amount of times she wanted to buy a packet of cigarettes but managed to stop herself before she did.

"No thanks, I quit a few years ago." She told him.

"That's good," He said a little proudly. "Everyone tells me I should try to quit."

"You quitting isn't up to everyone else," she said. "It's a mental thing. I only quit because I wanted to quit and it took a lot of willpower to do so."

Jon nodded agreeing with her then changed the subject. "Colby said he was going to text you this morning."

"Do you know where my phone is?" she asked standing up.

"Coffee table, I think."

She walked back inside, checking the coffee table and found it sitting on top of a magazine. She picked it up seeing a text from Colby and quickly replied to it before walking back onto the balcony.

"I'm going to go back to my room and get ready to meet Colby for lunch," she told Jon. "Thanks for letting me sleep here, I didn't think I'd fall asleep until I went back to my own room."

"It wasn't a problem. I thought you might need the sleep."

"Thanks anyway," she threw him a small smile. "I should get going, if I don't see you before tonight, good luck with your match and I hope you kick my brother's ass."

Jon laughed, "Shouldn't you be cheering for him?"

"They've made him an asshole on-screen, he deserves his ass kicked." She said making him laugh again.

"I agree with you," he smiled. "I'll see you later."

She nodded and turned around walking through the door. She left his hotel room thinking avoiding him as best as she could would be harder than she originally thought. She didn't think she could do it.

* * *

><p><strong>My chapters are very rarely this long and I actually enjoyed writing this one even though nothing really happens in this one. In the next chapter we meet Jon's other half but I haven't decided whether I should have him with Renee or another OC. What do you think? If it is Renee I won't be making her a bitch [Unless it's necessary because my OC isn't innocent or perfect] or completely hating on her because she is most likely a really sweet person. Also shout out to my awesome friend Lynn [<span>musiclover17<span>] for being the only person to review the last chapter.**


	4. Chapter 04

**I do not own the WWE or anyone in the WWE. All I own is a Dean Ambrose hoodie, wallet and my OC's. Thanks to the people who reviewed my last chapter. Sorry if this one sucks.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Four -<strong>

"Hope you haven't been waiting too long for me," Marie said sliding into the booth opposite Colby. She knew she was running a little late. Her shower took longer than it should have. It was mainly her fault. The water pressure felt amazing, she didn't want to get out. She was definitely having another shower before bed tonight.

"I was running late myself," Colby said raising an eyebrow at her. She was never late to anything.

"Why are you raising your eyebrow at me?" She asked, a small frown appeared. He only raised an eyebrow at her when he was questioning her without saying anything.

"You're late and you seem in a better mood," he said. "It doesn't have anything to do with a certain friend of mine? Has he told you he has a girlfriend."

"Jon and I can spend time together without ending up in bed, we've done it before," her frown turned into a scowl. "And yes he did tell me he has a girlfriend and it's complicated."

"Sorry, I didn't meant to jump to conclusions," he apologized. "So why were you late?"

"Have you not tried the shower in your hotel room?" she asked. "The water pressure is amazing. I was about to text you saying I wouldn't be able to make it to lunch."

Colby laughed, "Yeah, it's pretty good."

"Hello, welcome to Rigby's, I'm Sarah and I'll be your waitress today," a woman who looked to be in her early twenties said a little too enthusiastically, scaring both Colby and Marie a little. Working in a diner never made Marie this happy and excited. She was guessing the young woman's enthusiasm had to do with the man sitting across from her.

"And here are your menu's," she continued, her pep not faltering once. "Can I get you anything to drink while you decide on what to order?"

"Uh... I'll have a banana milkshake," Marie said after having a quick look at the drinks menu.

"Make that two," Colby smiled politely at Sarah.

"Alright, I'll be right back," Sarah blushed, turning on her heel and walked back behind the counter.

"I think she's a fan," Marie smirked at her cousin.

"What gave that away?" Colby frowned at her poking fun of him.

"I don't know, maybe it was the battering of her eyes, or the blush on her cheeks when you smiled at her or maybe it was the perkiness," she continued to poke fun of him.

"You're mean," he told her.

"I never said I was nice," she laughed.

"You're definitely in a better mood today," he said changing the subject.

"It's what happens you have a good night sleep and a nice relaxing shower," she smiled.

"Are you sure it has nothing to do with Jon?" he asked. He wasn't blind to the chemistry her and Jon shared. If anything happened between them he wanted to know. He loves Marie and wants to look out for her. He also loves Jon, he's one of his best friends but his sister always comes first. He didn't want him to hurt her or the other way around. And not to forget Jon's girlfriend, who was actually really nice.

"It has nothing to do with Jon okay," She frowned at him again. "Do you want me to write it down or text it to you? Nothing happened."

"Alright, no need to go into defensive mode," He said with a hint of sarcasm. "You seemed to be avoiding him last night, you only said a few words to him."

"I was tired," she said leaning back against the back of the booth seat and looked at the menu, the perky waitress handed her. It didn't take long for her to decide what she wanted to eat. Colby was about to say something when Sarah came back to the table placing their drinks in front of them.

"Are you both ready to order?"

"I don't know about my brother but I am," she said plastering on a fake smile. "I'll have the double bacon cheeseburger with fries and a salad." Marie, even though she had weight issues in the past, wasn't one to keep count of how much calories were in something or how much weight she could gain by eating something that wasn't rabbit food. She ate what she wanted to eat and exercised almost every day. It took her a few goes to get into a routine that suited her but she eventually got into one and has stuck to it since.

She paid no attention to Colby giving Sarah his order or her walking away. She knew she was slightly overreacting to Colby thinking something happened between her and Jon. Even though something happened before, not that it was really any of Colby's business, it didn't mean it would happen again.

"Hey you two," a deep husky voice pulled her away from her thoughts. She lifted her cup to her lips when, looking up to see Jon with a large grin on his face, showing those stupid dimples Marie loved so much. Seeing who he was made her choke on her drink. Colby shifted around to help her. When her coughing subsided she took a mouthful of her drink easing the scratchy feeling in her throat.

"You okay?" Colby asked, concerned.

She nodded. "I'm okay, sorry about that."

"You don't need to be sorry for choking," he told her.

"Do you want some water or something?" she heard Jon ask, just as concerned as her brother.

"I'm fine," she said, trying to avoid looking at him. A napkin never seemed so interesting to her before.

"Okay," she heard him say again. "Well, Marie this is Renee, Renee this is Colby's sister, Marie."

"It's finally nice to meet you," Renee smiled sweetly at her.

"It's nice to meet you too," Marie told her, not knowing if she wanted to mean it or if she actually did. She did think Renee was beautiful, you'd have to be blind not to notice that, and she did seem like a lovely person when she was on-screen but there was just something about the gorgeous Canadian that bothered her and she didn't even know her personally.

As Jon and Renee sat down, the Iowa native tried to come up with an excuse to leave and go back to the hotel room. It proved to her she cared for Jon more than she wanted to admit. She opened her mouth to tell them her excuse when her phone started ringing. She internally sighed in relief and checked her caller ID. She smiled when she say Katie's name on the screen.

"I have to take this," she said and slipped out of the booth, answering her phone as she walked outside. "Hey Katie, what's up?"

_"Are you avoiding him?"_ Was her best friend's reply.

"Are you serious? Did you just call to see if I'm avoiding Jon?"

_"No, but I would like to know."_

"Well I'm not avoiding him. I tried to last night but I felt like a right bitch and fell asleep in his hotel room," she told her.

_"I knew it wouldn't take you long to sleep with him again."_

"I didn't sleep with him!" She scowled, glared at nothing in particular. "We slept in different beds. Did you forget me telling you he has a girlfriend."

_"Have you met her yet?"_

"Yeah, I just did and she's super gorgeous, which is no surprise."

_"You're super gorgeous too,"_ Katie told her.

"I'm a Plain Jane compared to Renee Young."

_"So he is with her?"_

"Apparently so."

Katie laughed. _"You know you sound jealous right now."_

"What is there to be jealous of?" Marie asked her, starting one of her rants that could prove Katie was right. "Jon and I were just a three day fling, nothing more. He can be with whoever he wants to be. When we go our separate ways after Summer Slam, I probably won't see him for another four years or maybe ever again. I'm not going to ruin their perfectly, according to him, complicated relationship for another three day fling."

_"You're in complete denial,"_ her friend laughed again. _"If only you could hear yourself right now. You're denying feeling anything for him and following it up with admitting you do have feelings for him without saying it up front."_

"I'm going to hang up right now," Marie told her friend before ending the call. She walked back inside trying not to think about what Katie just said. She didn't think she was in denial, she was just confused.

"Everything okay?" She heard Colby ask as she sat next to him and opposite Jon.

"Yeah, it was just Katie," she told him, "She says hi."

"Next time you talk to her, tell her I say hi back."

"I will," she gave him a small smile.

**-x-**

After lunch, everyone went there separate ways. Marie went back to the hotel, Colby had to go talk to Stephanie and Paul, Renee had to make sure everything was ready for the Summer Slam pre-show and Jon had some radio interview. When Marie got back to her hotel room, she fell back onto the bed. Her thoughts when to what she was going to wear tonight, it made a change from thinking of where to look for a job, the possibility of telling her parents she's moving state, Jon and the many other things that swirled through her head.

Pulling her phone out of her pocket, she checked the time on the screen before looking at the photo she had as her lock screen background. It was of her and Katie last summer. They were at a friends pool party. She wore a deep purple bikini, while Katie's one was black. She smiled remembering how much fun they had. She wished Katie was here with her now.

Unlocking her phone she looked at her other background. It was of her making a funny face with her goddaughter, Kaia. Jolene, one of her cousins on her birth mom's side, and her husband David, welcomed a baby girl into the world two years ago. When Jolene found out she was pregnant, she asked Marie to be the baby's godmother. Marie said yes and now the little girl was the apple of her eye, she'd do anything for her.

Getting up from the bed, she went through her contacts list until she came across Jolene's number and pressed the call button. She smiled hearing Jolene answered her phone.


	5. Chapter 05

**Sorry it took so long. Thanks to those who reviewed the last chapter, you peeps are pretty amazing. **

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER FIVE –<strong>

Marie sat in Colby's hotel room waiting for him to get out of the shower, after rinsing the bleach blonde hair dye out of his hair. She was flicking through TV channels when she heard a phone start to ring. Recognizing Colby's ringtone she stood up from the couch and grabbed his phone, answering it without checking the caller I.D.

"Hello, Colby's phone."

"Marie?" The person questioned. She knew that voice very well.

"Katie?" she asked surprised. She didn't know Katie and Colby had swapped numbers or that they stayed in contact during the last four years.

"Y-yeah?" Marie could hear the hesitation in Katie's voice. Her look of surprised turned into a frown.

"I'll just get Colby for you," She told Katie as she walked towards the bathroom.

"Marie, wait!" Came Katie's rushed reply. "I'm sorry we didn't tell you."

"Sorry that you didn't tell me that you, my best friend, had kept in contact with Colby, my cousin who is actually more like a brother?" I started to rant, "Why would I be angry about you two keeping in contact? You're friends, it's not like something is going on between you two because if there was I know you two would tell me, right?"

Katie didn't say anything which told Marie she was wrong. The two people that told her everything didn't tell her about what was happening with them. She was angry and hurt.

"Rie-Rie, I'm -" Marie pulled the phone away from her ear before Katie could finish her apology. She walked into the bathroom not caring that Colby was still in the shower.

"You might want to take this she," she told him holding the phone out by the shower curtain. Colby turned off the water and grabbed a towel, wrapping around his waist before stepping out of the shower.

"Is it important?" he asked taking his phone from her.

"I don't know, ask your girlfriend," she glared at him as she turned on her heel and left his hotel room, Colby calling out after her.

**-X-**

Even though Marie was pissed at Colby, it didn't stop her from going to the show. She wasn't going to let her anger and hurt get in the way of her having a good time. She had hoped Jon would kick his ass and to a certain point he was. She was disappointed when Colby used the case to win. She loved her brother very much but on screen he deserved to get his ass handed to him and she wished they'd let Jon win at a PPV, even if it was just once. She was starting to feel bad for him, how many briefcases to the head can a guy take?

When the show had finished, she went back to her hotel room without going to see Colby backstage. Colby and Katie had been texting her but she didn't reply to any of the texts and when they called she let them go to voicemail not wanting to hear what they had to say.

Marie didn't know if she was overreacting and to be honest she didn't even care. Sure she was happy for her best friend and big brother, she saw the little spark the two of them shared but right now she was upset and hurt that, for some reason, they thought they couldn't tell her.

She finished getting changed into her pyjama's which consisted of boy shorts pantie and a tank top. She walked back into the living room when there was a knock on the door. Not bothering to grab a robe, she went and answered the door.

When she swung the door open she was surprised to see who was standing there. She blushed a deep shade of red, she didn't know why she felt embarrassed. He's seen her in much less clothing before.

"Can I please come in?" he asked politely.

"Did Colby send you?" she asked him, unsure if she should or not. She should have known Colby would tell him what happened. There wasn't much Colby didn't tell Jon and Joe. She started to wonder if Colby told Jon about him and Katie.

"If I lied and said no, would you let me in?" he retorted with another question of his own.

She sighed again and stood to the side letting him in. He gave her a small smile as he walked pass her into the room. She closed the door and followed him into the room. "I'm guessing Colby told you what happened?"

"Yeah. I didn't know he was seeing your friend either," he said sitting down on the couch. She sat down next to him

"I wasn't going to be mad at you if you did, we never kept in contact so there was no way of telling me if you did know."

"If we did and I had known about Colby and Katie, I would have told you." He reassured her.

"You don't think I'm overreacting?" she asked him, now unsure if she was overreacting or not.

"I would be upset too if my friend and brother hooked up and didn't tell me," He said making her chuckle to herself as an image of Colby awkwardly standing there holding Jon's brothers hand popped into her mind.

"What's funny?" he asked, her chuckling stopped.

"Nothing, just… nothing," she said returning his smile.

"There is something Colby wanted me to tell you since you're not talking to him right now," he told her and quickly added when he saw her face falter, "It's not about him and Katie, I told him it was between you three and I'm not being pulled into it."

"Then why are you here?"

"I came to see if you were okay and that Steph and Paul want to meet with you before they leave tomorrow."

"They… they want to m-meet me?" She stuttered. Not wanting to get her hopes up, she didn't think they'd want to meet her and now she was surprised that they wanted to.

Jon nodded. "Yeah they do. From what Colby said, they had a photographer quit on them and they're looking for a new one. He told them you're a journalist, you're a fully qualified photographer and that you're looking for a job."

"And they want to meet me?" she asked once more and Jon nodded for the second time. "What time?"

"Ten o'clock," he told her.

"In the morning?" she asked still slightly in shock that the most powerful couple in sports entertainment, two people she grew up watching and idolized at some point in her life, wanted to meet her.

Jon chuckled, "Yes in the morning. You're not leaving before then, are you?"

She shook her head. "I'm not leaving until Tuesday morning."

"Since you're not talking to Colby right now, I can take you to meet them… that's if you want me too," he quickly added the last part.

"That would be great, thanks." She gave him a small smile, she didn't want to get too excited. She was only meeting Paul and Stephanie. There was no guarantee that she would be getting a job. She could only cross her fingers.

"No problem," he returned her smile this time. "Have you had dinner yet?"

She shook her head no. He stood up grabbing the hotel room phone and the room service menu. Handing the menu to her, he sat back down. "Choose whatever, I'll give you the money to put on your bill tomorrow."

"I'm not that hungry," she said but looked at the menu anyway. Her stomach grumbling told Jon she was lying. She blushed slightly embarrassed.

"I think your stomach is disagreeing with you," he smirked at her.

She sighed, "Fine, I'll have the cheeseburger, fries and salad with a large glass of coke."

"Good choice," he smiled and called the number for room service.

Marie grabbed the TV remote while Jon placed their orders. She turned the TV on and started flipping through channels until she found a program she liked just starting. It was a rerun but she didn't care, she was a fan of FRIENDS. She could watch it over and over again and never get bored with it, it was just one of those shows.

"FRIENDS, really?" Jon's voice made her jump. She didn't hear him hang up the phone.

"FRIENDS is a classic," She playfully glared at him.

"I didn't say is wasn't," he chuckled. She stuck her tongue out at him and continued to watch the show.

"Feeling better?" she heard him ask.

"Yeah a little," she told him honestly. "I'm still a little hurt they couldn't tell me."

"You should talk to him before he leaves tomorrow," he suggested.

"Maybe," she shrugged, concentrating on the TV. A part of her wanted to look at him but she knew if she did, she'd give in and go talk to Colby. She wanted to be stubborn.

"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked seeing the small creases on her forehead. Going against herself, she looked at him, their eyes connected and she nodded.

"I'm okay."

"Good," he said.

Marie wanted to look back at the TV but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Her eyes were locked on his. He never made a move to look away. She felt herself moving forward and noticed he was also. Marie felt like everything was moving in slow motion, the voice in her head that was telling her this was a bad idea was slowly fading away along with all her other thoughts.

It felt like an eternity had passed when their lips were almost an inch apart when there was a knock on the door, bringing them back to reality. Marie quickly jumped up grabbing her wallet and went to the door. She opened the door letting the guy bring their food into the room and gave him a tip before closing the door behind him as he left.

She turned around to walk back into the living room area when she was pushed up against the door. Jon's lips crashed onto hers, in a heated kiss. She couldn't help but kiss back, even with a voice in her head screaming at her to stop.

"We… shouldn't… do… this," she said in-between kisses when she got annoyed with the voice in her head, screaming at her.

"I… know," he mumbled but didn't stop kissing her.

"We need… to stop," The kissing didn't stop.

"I can't," Jon admitted pulling her closer.

Marie gained enough will power to break the kiss but kept their faces close. She badly wanted to kiss him again but knew she shouldn't do it. She looked up into his perfectly blue lust-filled eyes. She felt the same spark from four years ago run through her only it felt more intense. Before she could stop herself she was kissing him again, their kiss more heated then the one before. Her lips were going to be read and swollen when they broke apart.

Jon started leading her to the couch when she broke the kiss again, when reality decided to hit her again. "What are we doing?" she asked him, their bodies still close to each other as they both tried to catch their breath.

"Probably the biggest mistake we've ever made," he said. "But I can't stop." He kissed her again and laid her down on the couch.

There was no stopping them this time, not even the regret Marie knew she'd feel in the morning, knowing she would be ruining a relationship even if Jon said it was complicated.


	6. Chapter 06

**CHAPTER SIX**

Marie woke up to a weight across her waist and someone pounding on her hotel room door. Still half asleep she removed the weight from her waist, pulled on the cotton bathrobe that was hanging from the hook on the wardrobe door and tied the sash around her waist. She walked to the hotel room door and swung it open, frowning at the person who was standing there.

"What do you want?" she glared at him, now more awake. Internally she was starting to freak out remembering what happened. It wasn't only once or twice that she and Jon had done the dirty deed. If she remembered correctly it wasn't until after three in the morning before they got any sleep.

"Did Jon tell you you're meeting with Paul and Stephanie at ten?" he asked.

"Because you were too pussy to tell me yourself?" she still frowned at him trying to stop the blush forming on her cheeks hearing her brother say Jon's name.

"You weren't answering me?" he returned her frown with one of his own.

"Whose fault is that?" she growled at him and then sighed, she was being childish and last night Jon was right, she should try to talk to him before he left. "He did tell me, what's the time now?"

"Almost nine o'clock," he told her and her eyes went wide with panic. She only had an hour to leave and get to where she was going to meet Paul and Stephanie.

"Shit!" she cussed herself, she'd been so caught up in being with Jon she forgot to set her alarm on her phone. "Where am I supposed to be meeting them? Jon never said."

"Down in the hotel restaurant, they want to buy us brunch," Colby told her. Relief washed over her. One thing she didn't have to worry about was morning traffic then she remembered him saying us.

"Us?" She questioned.

"Yeah I told them I'll be there to introduce you to them,"

"Oh," she felt slightly disappointed. Even though last night shouldn't have happened, she still wanted to meet Stephanie and Paul with Jon. "Okay, well I'll um… I'll go have a shower and put on something nice on then meet you in your room."

"Why can't I just wait for you here?"

"Because I'm still mad at you," she frowned at him even though it wasn't the reason. She wasn't really mad anymore but she was still a little hurt.

"Can we talk about that later?" he asked and she nodded. "Alright, I'll see you soon."

She nodded and closed the door as he walked away. She went back to the room and stopped a few feet away from the bed looking at the sleeping giant she was about to wake up. Watching him sleep she noticed how relaxed he looked. There was no sign of the man he portrayed on television. He wasn't Dean Ambrose - the lunatic fringe, with his crazy eyes and weird facial expressions, he was just Jonathan Good, the man she was in love with even though it didn't make sense.

She started to feel a little dirty. He had a girlfriend and neither of them had the will power to stop what they'd done. This made her feel worse. Renee seemed like a lovely person and she saw no sign of Jon's relationship with her being complicated. They seemed happy together and she had just ruined it.

"I can hear you thinking from over here," she heard him mumble, bringing her from her thoughts.

"Last night was a mistake," she found herself saying before she could think of something to say.

"No it wasn't," he said rolling onto his back, wiping the sleep from his eyes so he could look at her.

"You cheated on your girlfriend," she glared at him, not moving from where she stood.

"No I didn't, we broke up before the show and it was mutual, we both saw it coming," he told her like it was no big deal. In a way it wasn't if their break up was a mutual thing but it still surprised her. "It was also her that ended it."

"You could have told me that last night!" She frowned at him. "I was beginning to think that I was a dirty whore who ruined a good relationship!"

"I told you it was complicated," he defended himself. "And I was going to tell you but it slipped my mind. I wouldn't have let things go as far as they did last night if I was still with Renee, I may be a lot of things but I'm not a cheat. I respect women enough not to cheat when I'm in a relationship with one."

"So I'm not a dirty whore?"

"You are far from being a dirty whore," he reassured her. She felt somewhat relieved knowing now she didn't ruin anything between him and Renee. Then he said something that had her worried again. "There was one mistake though."

"W-what is t-that?" she stuttered.

"I didn't call you when I should have, we should have kept in contact." Marie nodded her head agreeing with him.

She wouldn't admit it to anyone but when he left after that weekend she felt like something was missing, she felt a little empty but seeing him again now, she felt whole. That empty space was now filled, the missing piece was now found. She'd fallen in love with him like a Disney princess fell in love with her prince – In only a matter of days. She didn't think it was possible but it had proven her wrong.

"I should get ready for my meeting, Colby's waiting for me," she said, walking quickly over to her suitcase not wanting to lose any more time. As much as she wanted to stay and work out what last night was with him, she had a possible job opportunity she couldn't pass on.

"I thought I was going with you," he said getting out of bed, not bothering to cover himself up as he walked out of the room and came back moments later with his boxer briefs on.

"Colby told Stephanie and Paul he'd introduce me to them," She said glad she found something nice to wear. She hadn't packed for a job interview so she picked out her light pastel colored floral skirt and a nice white blouse that would go with it.

"Was that who was knocking on the door?" he asked watching her as she put her clothes on the bed and grabbed one of the towels, heading towards the bathroom that was attached to the bedroom.

"Yeah," was her simply reply before she shut the door and started the shower.

Her shower was quick. She washed her hair and body, glad she didn't have to worry about shaving since she did it the night before. Once she dried off, she quickly got dressed, applied a little make up and made sure she looked presentable.

Walking out of the bathroom and into the living room, she saw Jon was still there and fully dressed back into what he was wearing last night. She was expecting to feel awkward but was a little surprised when awkward wasn't what she felt. She was nervous, mostly because of the meeting and a little because of him. She didn't know how to act around him, if she should peck his lips or his cheek, or maybe even shake his hand when it came to saying goodbye, wish me luck. As she watched him with his feet on the coffee table, flipping through a magazine he really had no interest in, she wanted nothing more than to kiss him again.

"How do I look?" she asked, her voice a little shaky, grabbing Jon's attention. He looked up from the magazine, looking her up and down more than once. He smiled putting the magazine down and stood up, walking over to her.

The butterflies in her stomach fluttered as he got closer to her. As soon as he touched her she felt a calming sensation go through her body. "You look amazing and you'll be great, you have nothing to be nervous about."

"This is huge for me," she said barely above a whisper.

"I know but you'll be fine," he reassured her. "And you can tell me all about how it went when you get back."

"You're going to wait here?" she asked him a little confused. "Don't you have a bag to pack?"

"I did that before I came over here last night," he smiled, seeming somewhat proud of himself for being organized.

"Okay, I should grab my handbag and go to Colby's room," she pulled away from him instantly missing the calming effect he had on her.

She walked back into the bedroom and grabbed her handbag. Going through the contents she was glad to see she'd forgotten to take her resume out of her bag after her last job interview. After zipping the bag closed, she slung it over her shoulder and walked back out of the room.

Jon followed her to the door and surprised her with a soft kiss on her lips. "You'll be great, I'll see you when you get back."

She nodded, slipping out the door and headed towards Colby's room.

**-X-**

"We're sorry we're late," came the deep familiar husky voice of Triple H, making Marie and Colby look up and stand when the power couple approached the table. "Something came up that we had to sort out. I hope we didn't keep you waiting too long."

"Not at all," Colby smiled shaking Paul's hand and hugged Stephanie. "This is Marie, my sister that I was telling you two about, Marie this is Paul and Stephanie."

"It's a pleasure to meet you both," Marie smiled shaking their hands before they sat down.

"It's a pleasure to meet you too," Stephanie returned her smile. "Colby's always talking about you," she added making Marie blush a deep shade of red.

"Only good things I hope."

"He said you were looking for a job," Paul said getting straight to the point. The tone in his voice was kind, definitely different from the tone he used on the show.

"Yeah I am," she nodded her head slightly.

"We can talk about that over brunch," Stephanie said waving over to a waiter standing a couple tables over.

Once everyone had their food, they went back to talking about Marie finding a job. "How long have you been looking for a job?" Stephanie asked the younger woman before taking a bite of her food.

"The last couple months, I graduated a few months ago and no one in Davenport or anywhere in Iowa is looking for a journalist or photographer," She answered truthfully.

"Why don't you start your own photography business?" it was Paul her asked her the question this time.

"I'm not quite ready for that. If I was, I don't have the money and I don't want to get a loan, especially when I can't afford to pay it back just yet," she told him.

"Fair enough," he nodded seeing where she was coming from. She wasn't about to put herself in debt which was one of the things that proved she was smart. "This is probably a silly question, since you wouldn't have packed for a job interview but do you have your resume with you?"

"Surprisingly I do, I forgot to take it out of my bag when I had my last interview so it was still in there." She reached into her bag pulling out the small clear file and handed it to them.

She sat in silence as Paul and Stephanie looked over her resume, pointing and looking impressed occasionally. Marie had never felt so nervous in her life but that nervousness would soon be replaced with relief when Paul handed her back her resume and Stephanie spoke.

"When do you go back to Iowa?" She asked her.

"Tomorrow morning," Marie told her.

"Good, that'll give you time to tell your parents and get everything sorted before Monday next week," Stephanie said with a smile. Marie looked at her confused no clicking on to what Stephanie was saying. "From next Monday we will give you a three week trial and go from there."

"Are you serious?" Marie asked surprised. "Don't you want to ask more questions or anything else?"

"No, your resume says it all and we're very impressed by it," Paul smiled reassuring her that they were serious.

"Did you read the part about what I went through?" She asked quietly.

"And we have no problem with that, we can talk about it more after your trial period," Stephanie spoke this time.

"I don't know what to say," Marie said feeling suddenly overwhelmed with emotion.

"A thank you is all we want,"

"Thank you so much," Marie told tell. "I really do appreciate it and I won't let you two down."

"I have a feeling you won't," Stephanie spoke again, smiling. "Do you have any questions?"

Marie nodded and felt herself deflate thinking about the costs of things. "How will I pay for my travel and accommodation? I can't really afford it."

"You leave that to us," Paul reassured her again. "You won't rooming with your brother, would you?"

Marie shook her head, "I don't mind."

"Good," he smiled, "Well we should get going. It was great meeting you and we'll see you Monday," he added as he and Stephanie stood up. I stood up also, shaking their hands after they placed some money on the table to cover brunch. I sat back down watching them leave the restaurant.

"So… You have a job," Colby said from beside her. He didn't say anything after they sat down after introducing her to Stephanie and Paul.

"I have a three week trial that could possibly lead to a permanent job, I still can't get my hopes up," she said looking at him. "Would you be able to pay for this?" I want to call mom and dad."

That was a lie, she'd tell her mom and dad about the trial when she got home, it was better to tell them face to face. She just wanted to leave and get back to her room, she could talk to Colby about yesterday later.

* * *

><p><strong>Two updates in two days, has to be a new record for me. Thanks to seth rollins babe and calwitch for the reviews, I appreciate them. Don't forget to review. Knowing people like this inspires me to write more.<strong>


	7. Chapter 07

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

Marie walked into her hotel room, closing the door behind her she didn't see Jon anywhere. Assuming he went back to his room, she walked into the bedroom and over to her suitcase. She grabbed a pair of dark blue denim cut off shorts and a greyish blue plain tank top. She was glad to get out of the skirt and blouse. She was glad she decided to pack even though she didn't wear skirts or blouses often.

Her back facing the bathroom that joined to the bedroom, she started unbuttoning her blouse after putting her change of clothes on the end of the bed.

"How did the meeting go?" Jon's familiar gruff voice sounded behind her, making her jump slightly. Turning around she faced him. He was standing in the bathroom doorway leaning against the door frame, a small smile on his face as his eyes went to her opened blouse.

"Next time knock so I know you're there." She told him as she turned her back to him and continued to get changed. She didn't feel uncomfortable with him watching her as she undressed and got pulled on the shorts and tank top, her body wasn't anything he hadn't seen before. "And it went surprisingly well. I have a three week trial starting Monday."

"That's great," he grinned as she turned around to face him again. "I told you, you didn't have anything to worry about."

"It's nothing set in stone yet but Stephanie and Paul are willing to give me ago," She returned his grin with a small smile as he stepped forward pulling her into a hug.

"Looking forward to joining us on the road?" he asked once they let go of each other.

She nodded and walked back into the living room. "I'll be staying with Colby though."

"You two need to talk before then so it's not all awkward and filled with tension," he said following her.

Marie was about to agree with him as they sat down but a knock on the door stopped her just as she went to open her mouth. She had a feeling she knew who it was. Colby was the only one here aside from Jon that knew her well enough to come to her room.

"Want me to get it?" Jon asked and she nodded. She knew it was now or never.

Jon stood up from the couch and walked to the front door. She heard Colby's surprised voice greet Jon as the slightly larger man let him in. The lines above her eyebrows creased into a frown as she looked up, her blue eyes meeting Colby's brown ones.

She stood up as Jon grabbed his things that she didn't even realize he'd brought to her room. She followed him to the hotel room door.

"You don't have to leave," she said only loud enough for him to hear. Even though she said it she knew this conversation was only between her and Colby, and she didn't want to drag Jon into their bullshit, even if a part of her wanted him to stay.

"I don't want to but you two need to sort it out on your own,"

"I know, will I see you before you leave?" she asked him.

"Yeah, text me when you've finished talking to him," he told her and she nodded. She closed the door after watching him walk into his room. Walking back to the couch, she sat down facing Colby and waited for him start talking.

It took a couple minutes of awkward silence to go by when Colby finally spoke. "I'm really sorry, Katie and I both are. We knew you'd have this reaction if you found out about us."

"Did you really think I wouldn't be happy for you both?" She asked him when he stopped speaking.

"I don't know," he shrugged his shoulders. "Most people get iffy when they find out a sibling is dating their best friend."

"Iffy?" she questioned raising an eyebrow at her brother.

"First word that came to mind."

Marie rolled her eyes. "Do you think I'm mad and upset that you and Katie are together?"

"I don't know," he shrugged his shoulders. "It could be part of the reason you're upset."

"You're an idiot."

"Thanks for pointing that out," he mumbled sarcastically.

Marie knew he was joking and smiled a little. "You are. I'm not hurt or upset that you and Katie are together, I'm actually happy for you both," She turned serious, a hurt look crossing her features as she looked him in the eyes. "I just wish you told me you were. You're a brother to me, Katie is like a sister and you're both my best friends, we tell each other everything! You both kept this from me. Did you even try to tell me?"

"We tried once but it seemed like the wrong time." He said looking away from her when the lines above her head creased into a frown.

"How long have you two been together?" she asked calmly. He knew it was the calm before the storm because his answer would not be one she expected or wanted to hear.

"Just over nine months," he cringed as he watched her fly up from her spot on the couch and turned her glare onto him, her nostrils flaring. She had every right to be furious, he'd be the same if it had been her and Jon seeing each other behind his back for as long as he had with Katie and only had tried to tell him once.

"Nine months and you only tried to tell me once!" She yelled at him.

"We couldn't work out when a good time to tell you would be. You've been through a lot in the la-"

"What I've been through has nothing to do with it!" she yelled again, interrupting him this time. "Don't use that as an excuse! It has nothing to do with what I've been through. You just couldn't grow the bulls to tell me."

"We're sorry, we really are and we did want to tell you sooner," he said looking down at his feet. "No one except you and Jon know about us. I didn't want to tell anyone until we told you. Not even mom and dad know and you know how hard it is to keep something from mom."

"Yeah I do," Marie sighed sitting back down next to him. "I'm still hurt and I probably overreacted but you have to put yourself in my shoes."

"I would have reacted exactly the same way if it was you and Jon or another one of my friends," he admitted.

"Unlike you I would have told you if Jon and I had started dating," she said looking at him.

"I know." He smiled a little. "Speaking of Jon, what's going on with you two?"

"I have no idea," she sighed again. "He showed up at my door after you asked him to talk to me, we ordered room service but ended up in bed before we could eat."

"What about Renee?" he asked frowning slightly.

"He told me they broke up."

"That doesn't surprise me, they were better off as friends," he said. "So you two haven't talked about what's going to happen?"

She shook her head no. "Not yet. I have a feeling it'll be my next serious conversation."

"I hope you two work it out," he smiled a little again. "You and Jon will be good for each other."

"You think so?" she asked him, scoffing a little to herself.

"You really like him and from the weekend him and I spent in Davenport four years ago, you two hit it off really well," he said. "For a relationship to work, you have to have chemistry. You and Jon definitely have that. I was surprised when you two didn't keep in touch and ended up with other people."

"A lot changes in four years," she sighed once more, but got a look in her eyes.

"One thing hasn't changed, has it?" he asked, noticing the look. "You still feel the same butterflies when you're near him, the same spark when you touch, the same look in your eyes when you think about him and all that other stuff. Has any of that changed?"

She shook her head no again. "It seems crazy."

"I know but love has no boundaries."

"You're sounding like a major sap," Marie joked trying to lighten the mood. She could admit to herself she somehow already loved Jon but she couldn't admit it to anyone else yet. She knew they'd think she was just crazy.

"It's what happens when you're in love," he smiled at her.

"Katie is the one, I'm guessing?"

He nodded, smiling again. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure she is."

"I'll be telling her something similar to this also - if you hurt her, I don't care that you're my brother, I will hurt you twice as bad." she began to tell him. "She is my best and only girl friend and I will continue to be her friend and not choose sides, if you ever do break up."

Colby nodded letting her know he understood. "The same goes for you and Jon if you two get together." Marie smiled a little. "So, am I forgiven?"

"Like I said, I'm still hurt but you're forgiven, both you and Katie," she told him. "I'll talk to her when I get home tomorrow."

"Good," he said. "I love you little sister."

"I love you too big brother," she smiled.

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry if this chapter sucks. Thanks to those who reviewed the last chapter.<strong>


End file.
